“You think the streets give a fuck how old he is? You think they gon’ spare him cause he’s just a boy?” He stepped closer, pointing at me accusingly.
“The fire that you see in him ain’t no sickness! It’s what’s gon’ keep him alive! Not no school, not no damn teachers, not those stupid ass doctors that you constantly take him to. You believe all that bullshit about disorders, when MY SON DON’T NEED NO DIAGNOSIS! HE NEEDS TO BE READY!” His voice boomed loudly.
I shook in momma’s arms, not sure if I was shaking from rage or fear now…maybe it was both.
“Ready for what?” She sobbed; her arms clutched me tighter in her hold.
“Ready to lose himself like you? Ready to bury his dreams in the dirt? He’s not you, and he doesn’t have to be.” She spat out harshly, like she was disgusted.
That made his eyes go dark; darker than I’d ever seen. He took a step, his voice lowered into something colder, and distant from the emotions he showed a couple of seconds ago.
“You going against me, Josephine? You letting your emotions dictate how I raise my boy?” He asked coldly, giving her an icy look.
“Kendrick, no. I’m not, I love him just as much as I do you.” She confessed sighing roughly.
“Seems like your loyalty is faltering. Like you’re forgetting who the fuck I am to you and him.” He dropped his eyes down to me.
“I don’t love shit unless I own it. I own the both of you, and you both will do what the fuck I say.” He licked his dry lips then looked back up at my mom.
“He is me. He got my blood, my fire. You can’t fight it or change that fact. One day, he will thank me for making him into a real king player, instead of some weak man hiding behind experiments.”
THE PENTHOUSE CAGE
Muthafucka’salways think that they can keep their light,I thought as I stood by the glass looking down at the L.A streets, the rain streaked my windows like tears from the city. I could see everything from here. The blocks I owned. The blocks I would be sure to take, and the bodies I had left to rot in alleys simply because certain men forgot who owned them.
Mira was here now, on my floor in the center of my board where I planned out my grand moves. My penthouse was silent except for the soft shuffle of feathers behind me. The owls moved along the steel beam that cut across the glass ceiling that opened when night fell. Most of the time if I wasn’t here, I opened part of the ceiling from my phone.
Their yellow and orange eyes stared as their heads tilted. They were watching me as I watched her. They knew exactly what she was. A piece, maybe a queen but she was mine. I took my eyes away from her to stare at most of my owls that I stopped counting once I passed twelve. Majority of them end up leaving, besides one Owl, Josie. She was family and hardly ever left my side. Josie was the leader of all of them; she even killed a couple that she felt wasn’t fit to be around.
“Behave.” I told them lowly.
Mira started to wake up; a soft choke sound escaped her dry lips as she stirred on the floor. Her wavy hair was dry; some parts were damp from the slobber and dry tears that she cried until the middle of the night. She tried to move but winced out in pain. Her wrists were red and raw from the ties that I took off her wrist, soon as the sun rose. I imagined her body being stiff as well from being tossed like a rag doll into my world.
I watched her toss and turn, murmur things under her breath as she slept. I could close my eyes and still see all of her curves, her blemish free nutmeg complexion, and the lines of stress etched in her forehead. Mira was beyond beautiful; through life she wasn’t treated as such.
I got you now, little owl…
I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Tone.
“Yo.” He answered on the first ring.
“Did you get him?” I got right to the point.
“I did, but Grand…” Tone sighed as I gripped the phone tighter.
“No buts to it.” I replied.
“There is a but bro, I’m all for what you do…taking her wasn’t necessary at all to be honest, yet I was still down because I saw that she was the reason you kept coming with Dre and I to the club. She ain’t no fiend that needs to be saved.” Tone spoke his mind, in which I respected.
“What is your point, Tone?”
“I think it’s impulsive to snatch her dude too. I mean—we have a lot going and?—”
“I have a lot going,” I quickly corrected him. “I’m busy, Tone…put him in the slaughter den.” I quickly hung up and placed my focus back on Mira.
Finally, she opened her big owl-like eyes weakly. She eyed all the glass that she was surrounded by, the city, my room, and the continuous storm. Next, her eyes landed on all the owls…Three, two, one…
Her eyes snapped to mine; she gasped as her eyes darted around frantically. She realized that there was no door she could reach, no window she could open.Good.I wanted her to feel it, the weight of me, the weight of my board and how she was a prized piece that just got added. I turned fully towards her, my black sweats hung low on my hips.
